As inkjet printer have advanced in function and capability, it has become desirable to increase the amount of paper available in the printer. This can be achieved by a media tray located under the printer body. Such a location, however, separates the media in the tray from the printing mechanisms, resulting in an increased time to move the media from the tray to the printing mechanism.
Pre-feeding media (sometimes termed staging) is known to reduce the time for printing on each media. Such pre-feeding in the prior art is in one continuous movement to a second location. In an inkjet printer the prior media stops under the printhead while the printhead moves laterally over the media. The number of such stops depends on the active length of the printhead. This invention addresses pre-feeding in such a system.